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How to Say "shut!" in Spanish

English → Spanish

cierra

syé-rrahˈsjera

verbA1familiar
Use 'cierra' when giving a familiar command to one person you know well (tú form).
A close-up view of a large, cartoonish hand firmly pushing a yellow window frame shut, illustrating a command.

Examples

¡Cierra la boca cuando comes!

Shut your mouth when you eat!

Cierra la caja fuerte antes de irte, por favor.

Close the safe before you go, please.

Affirmative Commands

This command form ('cierra') is used when you are giving a positive instruction to a friend (tú). Notice it looks exactly like the 'él/ella' present tense form!

Confusing Positive and Negative Commands

Mistake: “No cierra la puerta. (Using indicative for negative command)”

Correction: No cierres la puerta. (The negative command is different and requires a special verb form ending in -es.)

cierren

syehr-rehnˈsje.rren

verbA1formal/plural
Use 'cierren' when giving a command to multiple people, or to one person formally (ustedes or usted form).
A pair of cartoon hands firmly pushing a bright blue wooden door shut, illustrating the command to close something.

Examples

¡Cierren la ventana, por favor! Hace mucho frío.

Shut the window, please! It's very cold.

Necesito que cierren el paquete antes de enviarlo.

I need you (plural) to close the package before sending it.

No creo que cierren el gimnasio por la lluvia.

I don't think they will close the gym because of the rain.

Using Cierren as a Command

'Cierren' is the polite or formal way to give a command to a group of people (ustedes). It uses the same verb ending as the present subjunctive mood.

The E to IE Change

The base verb 'cerrar' is irregular. When the stress falls on the stem, the 'e' changes to 'ie' (e.g., cerrar becomes cierro, cierran, cierre, etc.).

Forgetting the stem change

Mistake: “The group says: 'Cerren la tienda.'”

Correction: The group should say: 'Cierren la tienda.' The 'e' must change to 'ie' in this form.

Tú vs. Ustedes/Usted Commands

The most common mistake is using 'cierra' when you should use 'cierren'. Remember, 'cierra' is for a single person you address familiarly (like a friend or child), while 'cierren' is for multiple people or someone you address formally.

Related Translations

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